You think the NFL and the TV networks are punishing the Steelers for Ben's actions
I'm in Arkansas and when we played the titans(im about 3 hours for there) cbs showed a boring game that really was not worth watching, then next titans game vs denver, the game is on even though they had said that the game of the week would be Steelers raven for most of the country' and 2 day ago theres this guy on espn radio talking about how the league will penalize team for bad behavior of their players and it kinda made sense. you guys think there s any truth to that?

No, the League will do what makes them the most money. Not sure how local programing works in your area and if a particular team (Titans) has priority. I live in Charlotte, NC where the local t.v. only shows the Carolina Panthers when they play ... since they play at 1 p.m. most Sundays, I have to go somewhere to catch the Steelers (too cheap to buy the Ticket).

Also, the Patriots are the greatest cheaters in the history of the league ... they didn't miss too much t.v. time.

James Harrison said last week it basically is going to come down to who's more violent.. If that doesn't spark some kind of interest then nothing will. Ravens Steelers seems like a logical pick even if your not a fan of either team. But Kirklandrules is right.. Your gonna see the "most local" team games broadcast far more than the others. In Montana it was Denver. In Oregon it'sSeattle.. blech.. But Sunday ticket has been my buddy for 10 years now. And I don't think there is any conspiracy here. I've actually felt like Ben's been defended alot by the broadcasters and even the commish.. Keeping it to 4 games wasn't the only option.. Someones to thank for that .. Just sucks we gotta wait another week to see him in action. Can't wait!

The league would only be penalizing itself if it thought the Steelers "deserved" to be restricted to a smaller viewing area and therefore depressed TV ratings by showcasing a game such as Browns-Bengals or Bills-Jags instead - Steelers get the same TV $$ either way. The punishment to which the person you heard probably was referring was fining a team (or sitting its franchise QB out for 4 games) for player misconduct

Fact is with #7 out the match-up simply is not as attractive because the Steelers are not as good a team. It is why all prime time games and the national doubleheader game featuring the Steelers were scheduled this year for after #7's return.

It is your rotten luck the NFL probably regards Arkansas as part of the Titans viewing area since you are across the river from Tennessee - same reason Atlanta often gets Jags and Titans games on the CBS affiliate although neither team has a following here

The TV stations wouldn't penalize the Steelers. They want the best ratings possible. If your local team is on that's what you'll get. 75 mile radius, I think. If you're outside of that, the station will likely go with the best rating. My guess is you're close enough to Nashville that the station considers them regional.

I will gripe about this-last weekend for instance. All week-it said on the channel guide-Ravens v. Steelers. Friday, it changed to regional coverage. Sunday, it changed to some sort of sports show with Bull riding to follow until the 300 pm game kickoff. I live in Louisiana, by the way. Normally, the Mannings rule the airwaves, but this was different. Oh well, packed up and hit the Buffalo Wild Wings. We have more fans in that restaurant than the Saints.

I will gripe about this-last weekend for instance. All week-it said on the channel guide-Ravens v. Steelers. Friday, it changed to regional coverage. Sunday, it changed to some sort of sports show with Bull riding to follow until the 300 pm game kickoff. I live in Louisiana, by the way. Normally, the Mannings rule the airwaves, but this was different. Oh well, packed up and hit the Buffalo Wild Wings. We have more fans in that restaurant than the Saints.

That's the way it is in Charlotte. All week you see CBS advertise a Steelers game, but on game day they have a program of some old lady selling a sewing machine. The only game on, during what normally is a double-header, is the Carolina Panthers playing on FOX. I grew up near Syracuse, NY (3 hours from Buffalo) and the only games shown were Bills games. So you are just experiencing what the NFL is pushing for "local" programming.